


the rooftop

by aestheticrobin



Category: Artemis: Requiem (Comics), DCU (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Choose Your Own Adventure, Choose Your Own Ending, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-18 01:14:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29109891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aestheticrobin/pseuds/aestheticrobin
Summary: “ you will alwayshave my heart ”— in which jason and artemis have an encounter after a long time, and the occuring events will determine where they stand from then on | choose your own adventure fic
Relationships: Artemis of Bana-Mighdall & Jason Todd, Artemis of Bana-Mighdall/Jason Todd
Comments: 11
Kudos: 9





	the rooftop

**Author's Note:**

> guess who's back with something new! yaaaaayyy!
> 
> because i've been wanting to write one of these for a long time now + this reminds me a lot of my new obsession (aka detroit: become human), i pulled an all nighter to create this
> 
> you decide the ending to this short story: you will have two choices, marked as underlined, and the one you choose will determine how the story ends for you ,, click on it and your ending will be unlocked
> 
> p.s. - choose wisely ;) have fun!

He could not forget her scent. And she couldn't forget the feeling of his silky smooth hair through her fingers.

The soft breeze of the late afternoon warned him she had arrived - he could have sensed it, if he wanted to, but his heart was racing and his mind was somewhere else. There was no way he could focus on being aware of his surroundings for the time being.

"You came" he spoke, still not turning around.

"I did" the female voice replied. "You knew I would come. You always knew"

"Yeah, I knew..." he took a deep breath as he stared into the horizon.

It was a warm summer afternoon, the sun already setting and a comfortable breeze blowing in the altitude they were at. Jason watched as the orange skies painted themselves in various shades of red: red like violence, red like passion, red like the symbol he wore on his chest, or like the helmet now discarded by his side, red like...

...Red.

His legs were dangling on the edge of the tall building, his leather jacket thrown somewhere next to his helmet and the live painting he had been watching up there for the last half hour had finally become complete. He just hadn't mastered the courage to turn around and finally admire it.

Jason wasn't scared. No. He had been dreaming about this day for so long... He wasn't scared.

He was just afraid that he wouldn't be able to keep his posture when he finally looked at her again. But he had to. After so long... That was why he called her here, after all.

There was a comfortable silence shared between the two as Jason gathered the courage to move, about a minute or so. It was nice. But it was also tearing him apart. Like when you're young and about to ask for something to your parents. It was... odd.

Jason was going to move. He was. But she got the clues faster than he could finally act and decided to take the step.

The familiar scent suddenly grew more intense and when Jason noticed, she was sitting next to him. There was no turning back. This was it.

Slowly moving his head to the side, Jason's eyes were met with a sight he had yearned for for so long.

There she was, Artemis Grace, again by his side. He didn't think she could get any more beautiful last time they met, but now that she's here, Jason had decided that he couldn't have been more wrong. She looked stunning...

He could still recognize those fierce feline eyes of hers, green like emeralds and always full of determination. Those would never change. Her hair seemed to be darker, a deeper shade of red, and Jason could swear her decision of showing up with her hair down today was her way of teasing him, asking him to touch it like the way he did before.

Except it most certainly wasn't.

But there was something in her... Something had changed in Artemis. In her facial features. She had somewhat of a softer expression, almost like she now had a different perspective of the world, as if she saw it with other eyes.

It had been a while since they had last seen each other. Time passes, things change... Jason knew that very well. A lot had happened to him in that period of time, and seems like it had to Artemis as well.

"It has been a while" Artemis took it upon herself to bring the silence between the two. "A long while"

"Two years, three months and eleven days" said Jason. "But who's counting, am I right?"

" I am" she turned her head around to properly look at him and Jason couldn't help but feel the magnetic force bring him to look back at her.

For a moment, it was like the world around them had disappeared. The only thing that existed was that moment, right there, and each other's eyes.

Artemis had noticed the effect of time on Jason as well. His hair had grown a bit longer, beginning to wave at the ends, and the timeless white streak was still there, falling over his forehead. If Artemis was honest, she liked his hair better now.

She also noticed the new scars on his face. The redhead still knew his body like the palm of her hand: she knew every single scar on his body and the history behind each of them. He still looked rough, but Artemis could easily say that he seemed to be coming at terms with certain things in life. Like the weight was slowly being lifted off of his shoulders.

They both knew better than to waste time with small talk. There was no use in wasting time talking about life and what they had been up to for the past two years.

"I dreamed about you last night" Jason said as he looked back forward, focusing his gaze on the horizon once again.

"Is that so?" Artemis was curious to see where this was going.

"We were back in Italy" that was a trip neither of them would ever forget. "I was picturing you in that flowy white dress, flowers in your hair, as you led me through the streets of Florence and we explored the beaches of Tuscany. It seemed way too real, too accurate... It was like I was reliving that moment"

There was a soft smile in Artemis' face as she looked down, watching as the cars drove by and the people in the busy streets seemed like ants from up there.

That week was a week neither of them would ever erase from their memories, no matter the outcome of today's meeting. It made them feel like the world was theirs, pushing all of their worries away as they embraced each other's naked bodies under the silk sheets. It was freeing.

They had made all kinds of plans on that trip: they talked about what places they would visit the next day, what places they would travel to next time they had a chance, talked about their silliest childhood stories... they even talked about growing old togheter - even though that wouldn't be genetically possible for either of them, but still, time existed and they would very much like to spend it by each other's side.

It was during one specific night, when the two sat on their hotel room's balcony sipping wine as they looked over the grapevines, that Jason's heart told him that was what he had been looking for his whole life. That was it.

It felt right.

With her beauty highlighted by the shining moonlight, Jason decided that he wanted to marry Artemis. Keep her by his side forever. He couldn't let her go.

Jason would propose to her. Soon.

He just had to gather the courage.

However, it wasn't long until duty brought them apart: Jason was needed in Gotham, and Artemis' sisters needed her, for an indefinite period of time.

Breaking up was hard - by far one of the worst things they had ever done! -, but duty called and they both knew anything could happen during that time, so the safest way to keep their hearts unbroken was to end everything between them. They were free. Free from commitment. Whatever happened from that day on would happen.

Jason had been a coward. He had let the woman of his dreams let go just like that, with a freshly bought ring suddenly feeling ten times heavier than it actually was in his pocket.

He was a coward for not proposing to her then right there. But he also knew that it would be selfish of him to put her through that pressure. She didn't deserve to be tied down. Artemis deserved better than him, she deserved to go and let life guide her through whatever happened.

And to this day, Jason kept the ring with him at all times.

"Remember that night when we decided it would be a good idea to go for a swim at the beach at 1 a.m.?" why was Jason feeling so nostalgic all of a sudden, he had no idea. "We had definitely had way too much italian wine by then"

"Correction, you had" she added, highlighting the fact that she could hold her liquor pretty well - while Jason couldn't.

"You might be right, but that still didn't stop you from tagging along right away" he knew he got her.

Artemis didn't even protest. Jason didn't have to try to convince her, he just spurt the idea out of his mouth and she was in right away. She felt like she could be free, away from prying eyes, somewhere where no one knew them and all the worries were left back home. It was a once in a lifetime experience.

"As much as I enjoy reliving the memories of that week, I know that's not the reason you called me here for" straight to the point, just like Artemis had always done. "Why did you text me last night?"

"I-..." now that the moment had finally come, Jason felt like he was choking and stumbling upon his own words.

"I missed you"

Her eyes were on him, sporting a soft layer of affection, and Jason had to fight himself not to move his hand over to hers. They were so close that he could almost feel their fingers brush. But he wouldn't do that.

"I missed you too, Jason" replied Artemis, breaking the silence that fell upon them.

It was great. But it was also heartbreaking.

"I know a long time has passed, I know we haven't seen each other in a long time. We missed out on a lot" she continued. "But if there's one thing this separation taught me is that I deserve better-"

Jason's heart suddenly started beating faster than ever, his mind racing and blocking his ears from whatever else she was saying. He had been right. She deserved better than him. It was a good idea he had never proposed, that way he saved them both of a huge embarrassment - and the biggest heartbreak of his life for him.

"-I deserve better than having to put my life on hold everytime someone needs me, to ignore my needs and my wishes" Artemis added. "I am a warrior, that's what I was born to be. But I want to be more than that, something else... I want to be your lover"

Wait, was Jason hearing that right?!

(Of course, he had to overreact to everything, as always!)

"You, Jason Todd, taught me that I can share my emotions with someone instead of bottling them up. You showed me what it means to be free, to feel like myself" he noticed she fidgeted with her hand, trying to decide if she should reach for his or not. "You know I'm not good at this type of things, and neither are you, but what I am saying is heartfelt. I can't imagine spending my days without you and your silly ideas to annoy me"

"I love you Jason" there, she said it (again). "And if you want to, I am willing to take another chance at us..."

He couldn't even think straight. Jason didn't know how to reply to such speech.

But he had to. He had to say something.

"You know, Artemis... There is also another thing I need to tell you about..."  
"I love you too, Princess. I always have..."

Jason moved to reach for his jacket, sliding the zipper of his pocket open and pulling out a small box, covered in red velvet - that often reminded him of Artemis' hair.

"It was also during that week that I realized how I couldn't live without you" he started, fidgeting with the box as he spoke. "I wanted to be your husband, keep you around for many more years to come. I was going to propose, but I was a coward. I thought it would be better to let you go than tie you down. Who knows, maybe you'd find someone better than me..."

"Believe it or not, I carry this ring with me every day since I bought it, just a couple of days before we broke up" Jason opened up the box to reveal a beautiful silver band with a shiny red diamond on top. "It has been hard ever since to go a day without thinking about you, about how we could probably be living a happy life, married with a dog and a kid"

He laughed. It hurt too much to remind himself of how often he wondered about what they could have been if he decided to take a chance back then.

"But last night, I just couldn't handle it. I had to put a stop to this, either if that meant that my dreams would come true or that my heart would get shattered once again. I needed to see you and know where we stood" Jason looked up at her, determination in his eyes as he held the open box in front of Artemis.

It was the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. She wasn't much of a jewelry girl, but her eyes hadn't been able to leave the ring ever since Jason opened that box. Not only was it beautiful but she could sense everything Jason had just said and felt about her in it. It was silly, definitely, but she didn't love that piece of jewelry for itself, but for what it meant.

And if it was up to her, Artemis would wear it on her finger for the rest of her life.

"I want to know, Princess..." It had been way too long since Artemis had last heard that nickname on his mouth. "Are you willing to take a chance on us? Are you willing to take me back, but this time, for a lifetime?"

Her eyes were glossy with unshed tears as she looked up to stare at him, a huge smile plastered on her lips - the biggest one he had ever seen on her, probably. Jason took it as a good sign.

"Yes, Jason. Yes" she said. "A million times yes"

It was only a matter of seconds until Jason slid the ring on her finger and she had already thrown him back against the roof of the building, sitting over him and placing her lips over his. It had been so long since the last time they had kissed...

They were so lost in kissing each other, hands roaming carelessly through their bodies, that they only parted when they ran out of air. The kiss was so passionate, full of need for each other...

"Get this through that thick skull of yours, Jason Todd" Artemis spoke with a soft smile on her face. "I could never find anyone better than you. You're the only one I want"

That made Jason smile. Genuinely smile.

"I love you, Artemis" he couldn't remember the last time he felt this happy.

"I love you too" she replied, bending over so that their faces were closer. "Now shut up and make love to your fiance"

"Right here?" he asked, earning a raised eyebrow in response.

Of course, she knew he wouldn't be shy about it. Jason loved her so much and in that moment, it was like the world didn't exist and all he could think about was the woman on top of him, already leaning in for another passionate - and desperate - kiss.

Soon enough they were both naked and taking each other to heights - quite literally -, going until the sun finished setting down.

Heading back home together for the first time in two years felt better than it ever did, and the couple knew that was a feeling neither of them ever wanted to let go again.

Ah, they couldn't wait until they were finally married!...

so i see you took my advice and chose wisely... ;)

"...but as you said, time has changed a lot of things" he took a deep breath, asking himself how was he going to break the news when she had just put her heart out for him. "And I have fell in love with someone else"

There was a pang in his heart, for breaking her heart like that. But nothing like Artemis felt.

Through her eyes, Jason could she her heart shatter in a million tiny pieces. He felt so bad... But they had agreed, they had made a decision before they parted ways and one couldn't rule their heart.

"I still love you Red, just not as much as before..."

It hurt for Jason to confess this, to watch the heart of someone who meant a lot to him be crushed in front of him - and by himself! -, but he couldn't lie to her, nor to himself. He had to put a stop to this, for both of them.

"So you've found someone else..." that was all she could say.

Mastering the courage to look up at him without falling apart, Artemis noticed in his face that he wasn't sharing the news lightheartedly. However, it still wasn't him that was in the place of the person whose everything was being taken away.

Artemis knew this could happen, she knew it very well. That was why they both decided it would be better to break up back then. But down there, she always had hope that one day she would come back and pick up from where they left off.

Her feelings for Jason never died down, in fact, the distance only made them stronger. She fooled herself, thought the same had happened to him, and when the notification rang on her phone last night, a final beam of hope lit up inside of her... only to be blown away at this very moment.

"Yes, I have" he replied. "I'm so sorry, Artemis... I didn't mean to-..."

"You have nothing to be sorry about, Jason" she cut him off. "You can't tame a heart. And situations like this were the reason we decided to end our relationship. You were single again, free to date whoever you wanted to. And I am truly happy you found someone that makes you happy"

Artemis was being honest. Jason had meant a lot to her - and he always will -, and under all of the pain she felt at the moment, she was happy to know he had found someone who treats him right. Oh, how does she know how that man deserves some good in his life...

Jason looked at her like a sad puppy, and Artemis couldn't keep the tears from falling down her face. Moving a hand to gently brush his hair away and caress his face, Artemis took one good (and perhaps final) look at the man she loved the most.

"Whoever it is that you have found, Jason..." she gently spoke. "...I hope they can give you what I never gave you. And I hope they make you as happy as you once made me"

"Thank you. For everything" she added. "You will always have my heart, no matter what"

Jason was paralyzed by her words, so much that he couldn't do anything when Artemis stood from her seat and turned to leave, leaving him alone once again on top of that building.

Artemis had often wondered about how life would have been if they had never broken up: would they have gotten married? Would they have travelled the world as they once planed? Would they have a family by now?

All of those went down the drain on that late afternoon.

She couldn't hold back the stream of tears running down her face. But she would recover. Eventually.

After all, it was just another deception in the many she had already encountered in her life.

Jason wouldn't be going home to a cold and empty bed that night, but he was definitely going home with a heavy heart...

...and a heavy pocket, with a ring he was finally getting rid of in the morning.

oh no... look what you have done! :'(

**Author's Note:**

> credits to La_Temperanza for the tutorial + coding for this ,, thank you so much!
> 
> what option did you choose? how did the story turn out for you? let me know in the comments :))
> 
> also ,, the story itself isn't really good, i created this more as a kind of test, so if you liked this/want to see more of this type of stories, let me know and i'll bring them to you


End file.
